Familiar
by devilishblacksheep
Summary: My take on how everyone's favorite familiar got to be that way...Scud's got a bit of a mouth on him, and there's some violence, but nothing major
1. Betrayal

**I was watching Blade II the other night, and after becoming reacquainted with my favorite character I decided to look to see if there was any fanfic about him…there was, but nowhere near enough for my liking. So I wrote my own. That and the second (third? I've lost count) viewing left me unsatisfied as to why Scud would become a familiar _after _Blade saved his ass from vamps (no, I do not subscribe to the group of people who think that was part of the plan…remember, Blade said "I was onto you from the moment they turned you": that would have to mean that Scud wasn't a familiar when he met Blade). So here's my take on why Scud is a familiar in the movie. Enjoy.**

I didn't want to. Before I say anything else, before I start telling it, before you start judging, I honestly didn't want to. B had been good to me; put a roof over my head (or at least let me borrow his), gave me something productive to do, just let me do my thing. Yeah, I know; he more put up with me than anything else. Fuck, I know I can be a bit of an ass. But he was a good guy, really; killing all the suckheads, saving the damsels in distress, whatever. It was nice, for once; coming from a life I did, getting shunted from one foster family to another and then living on the streets for a few years, it was paradise. So what if it made me a bit more of a target to the vamps; I'd been on the streets most of my life in one form or another, I knew how to handle myself. Or, at least, I thought I did.

We were in Prague at the time, looking for W's puckered ass. It started like most days did; B went out to do his thing, I stayed at camp to do mine. You know, fiddling with the computers, checking security, working on a new weapon, etc. Nothing new. I think I must have fallen asleep or something; I hadn't been sleeping well. Nothing serious, just a little insomnia; it happens to the best of us. Anyway, I must have fallen asleep, 'cuz the next thing I knew, there was this guy standing over me, just…staring. I jumped like a foot, looking the guy up and down without being, y'know, obvious, assessing the situation. It's something I learned growing up, and believe you me, it's kept me out of trouble a few times. He was a tall motherfucker, bald as a cueball, and _pale_. And he had this look in his eyes, predatory. So he's a vamp. Obviously; that's my luck for you, right?

I tried to get the hell out of there; always been a flight kinda guy. If it keeps me alive, who's to judge, right? But this guy, he just shoved me back in the chair like it was nothing. Kinda unnerving. He gave me this look, like I was a piece of meat. Well, that's what I was to him, I guess…

"Where is the Daywalker?"

It took me a minute to figure out what he was asking. I mean, most people, well, vamps, just call B Blade. Sure, he is the "Daywalker," but what with the fear that the cocksucker was gonna go for my neck preoccupying my brain, it took a while for the words to sink in. "Oh, B. Yeah, well, he's out. Ashing your buddies, probably." Okay, word to the wise: never, and I mean _never_, tell the bad guy the hero is out. Always a bad idea, mainly because it leaves you all by yourself, with no incentive for the bad guy to not kick your ass.

I smirked. Yeah, probably not the best option, but I thought I was in the clear; B was out, it was obviously B the guy was after, he'd leave me alone. Right? Wrong.

The suckhead gave me an evil grin. "Out, eh? How…fortunate." It quickly became apparent that it wasn't B the guy was after.

I backed the chair up, looking for a possible exit as I did. Usually this escaped the notice of people, but not this guy; he was sharp. With one perfectly planted kick the chair upturned, and I fell sprawling on the floor. Kinda hard to run away when your legs are tangled up in a chair.

"You are the Daywalker's pet, no?" Immediately this was an insult to my ego. Pet? Hell no; I was no one's property. Sure, he let me stay there and help, but I was my own man. I gave him a glare, daring him to say anything else. Yeah, vampires, not so easily intimidated. He grabbed me by the collar of my t-shirt, lifting me into the air until we were nose to nose. "Answer," he hissed.

"Fuck no; I just help the guy out…technical stuff. I don't 'belong' to anyone. Least of all him." The suckhead let go, and for the second time that night I was lying on the ground. It was beginning to be something of an issue.

"We'll see about that…" It was kind of muttered; I didn't really realize what he said until later, when I was able to fully appreciate the irony.

I pushed myself to my elbows, giving him my best badass look. "Listen, Nosferatu, just get the hell out, alright? Your buddy B isn't here right now, so you're shit outta luck." I pulled a joint out of my pocket and stuck it in my mouth and began looking through my pockets for a lighter. Given recent events, I _really_ needed a hit.

But, alas, it was not to be, 'cuz the bastard pulled me to my feet, eliciting a noise of protest, causing me to drop the joint. I barely had time to mourn my loss, because the guy started talking again. "You do know of our plan, no?"

I raised an eyebrow. I had heard of the vamps' "master plan," where they would wipe out the entire human race, since it was the main reason why business was booming as of late; they were getting bold, beginning to really set it into motion. But I feigned ignorance, figuring it would lengthen the stay of execution. "Enlighten me."

"We have created a new race, a type of vampire that is perfect in every way. It is our hope that, with this new development, we can become the dominant race instead of you humans." His features twisted with distaste.

This was new information; I hadn't heard about this at all, despite my numerous reliable sources. I couldn't wait to tell B; he'd want to be all over this. But my excitement, no matter how well-hid, was short-lived.

"However, there is a problem. The specimen we have has turned on our kind, favoring our blood over that of humans. This cannot be allowed to continue."

"And how is this my problem?"

He tightened his grip on my shirt, shoving me harder, if possible, against the wall. "We need Blade's help."

I laughed to myself. So _that's_ what this was about; he didn't want B's help, he wanted him dead, and he had just created an ingenious way to accomplish it. "Cut the bullshit, D. If you've got some new plan on how to kill B, just fuckin' say it."

D's eyebrows furrowed, his anger obvious. But he controlled himself; he obviously wanted me to do something for him, and it wouldn't be a good idea to kill the helper before he could be convinced to help. He closed his eyes, paused a minute, then opened them again. "You are quite perceptive, human. So you are open to the proposition."

I snorted. "Fuck no. I just hate bureaucratic bullshit; if you've got something to say, no reason to sugarcoat it, just say it."

His eyes narrowed. "I am going to explain the plan, and you are going to carry it out."

I kept pushing, watching the vein pulse in his forehead as he got more and more frustrated. "We'll see."

"Your role is threefold; you must allow my 'representatives' to get in here to present their case, you must report all important developments to me, including the Daywalker's weaknesses, and you must allow him to feel in control as my plans are set into motion. And any further instructions I give you must be followed."

"Fuck that. I'm not doing it."

"Yes, you are. You have no choice." No anger, no commanding, just a calm declaration of fact.

"That's where you're wrong. There is always a choice. And I _choose_ to tell you to get the fuck out of here, 'cuz there is no way in hell I'm gonna go Mata Hari on Blade. He saves my ass from you suckheads, and I turn around and betray him to the enemy? Sorry, bub, not happening. Get yourself another errand boy, 'cuz I'm staying out of it."

The cocksucker shoved me against the wall. Hard, none of that holding-back shit he had been pulling earlier; for a minute I couldn't breathe. "You will do it, and you will not complain again. When our plan is complete, when we number in the thousands and are all Daywalkers, do you think there will be any place for your kind other than as the cattle you are? We tolerate you now, only because you outnumber us. But when it is we who outnumber you, who will save you? Not your precious Blade; he will be long dead. If you do not help us in our goals, you will join them, I can guarantee it." He backed up and I slid to the floor, overwhelmed.

I had one last rebellion in me, and I took it. "Yeah, fat chance. Blade's one bad motherfucker; he's not gonna go down easy. You know how many of you he's taken out already? Millions. And he's just getting started." I was grasping at straws, trying to save my own ass, and he knew it. Sure, Blade had everything under control now, but if the suckheads had something new, something that even they were afraid of (yeah, I had picked up on that; I'm smarter than I look), maybe B's days were numbered.

The damn bloodsucker read my mind. "He may be 'just getting started,' as you put it, now, but for how long can he keep it up? He is but one man, albeit a superhuman one, but mortal nonetheless. And he has no one to take over if he falls; we have the old man, and you are not fit to take up the mantle." Touché.

I opted to change tactics. I know when to cut my losses; now was the time to look after my own ass, since it was now painfully obvious B wasn't going to be able to do it for me forever. "What's in it for me?" A serious question, I thought. Sure, it may sound selfish, but why would I do something for a vamp if I wasn't getting something out of it? Yeah, I know you're all about ready to smack me right now, but I'm a realist, not a romantic. I've seen more than most of you will probably ever see in your entire life; heroism gets people killed and usually yields very few results, at least in the field I'm in.

"For you? I will guarantee your safety from others of my kind as long as you do what I ask."

"That it? I get that from B. Sorry, buddy, you're gonna have to do better than that."

He gave me a glare intended to paralyze me with fear, but, honestly, B had given me worse for less. "Fine. If you do as I ask and do it very well, when the time comes, I will ensure that you join our ranks. You show potential; I believe that one day you may be useful."

Well, that was about as much as a guy could ask for. Ensured survival. For eternity. Hard core.

One more question. "And if I don't?" His eyes narrowed. He approached me until my back was to the wall. He gripped under my chin, right where the windpipe is, and squeezed. Not enough to be painful, just enough that it was reeeally uncomfortable and kind of hard to breathe. "Let's just say that it would be better for you if you didn't, no?" It was painfully obvious what he meant; I refused and it would be the last thing I did.

He drove a hard bargain. Oh, don't get me wrong; I have my loyalties, and will fight to the death to protect them. However, first and foremost among my loyalties is saving my own ass. Much as I hated myself for doing it, I nodded weakly, letting out a wheezing "okay" that was barely audible unless you were listening for it.

He let go of my throat, letting me slump to the floor and try to regain my breath. "Okay what?" The bastard knew what I was agreeing to, he just wanted me to say it myself. The sick fuck.

"I will do what you say. I will," I swallowed thickly, "betray Blade so you can succeed in your fucking plan." I mumbled the rest, wishing desperately that it hadn't come to this. Sure, B had been waaay too focused on saving this Whistler guy to actually pay much attention to me, but I was used to that kind of thing, really; it was nothing new. And B didn't deserve this, not really. No one deserved a betrayal this big.

The guy nodded, obviously pleased with himself. "Come here."

I gave him a look. There was no way in hell I was going to get anywhere near him; sure, I'd be his errand boy, since it seemed I really had no other choice, but I was going to stay right where I was, thank you very much.

"Come here, boy. I need to mark you." He was a little more insistent this time. But, typical Scudster, I didn't take the hint. It's not that I'm slow or anything; I heard the words, I knew what he wanted, and I could hear the thinly veiled venom in his voice. I just like to push people's buttons, even if it gets me into trouble. Hell, especially if it gets me into trouble; it's too fun to pass up.

"What do you mean, 'mark' me?" The dots just weren't connecting. I was just doing the guy a favor, that's it. Give intel on B, do a little sabotaging, and that was the extent of our relationship. Hah. What did I know?

"You are mine now, human. I need to mark you so the others know you are not to be touched." I gave him a questioning look. He sighed. "I knew you humans were slow, but I thought I had picked one who was competent. Especially since you work with the Daywalker; you should know about the…relationships that sometimes develop between vampires and promising humans." Nice ego stroking; everyone likes to be appreciated, and this guy knew it. Flattery will get you everywhere. "I have chosen you as my familiar; you now belong to me. As I have said, I need to mark you as such."

The pieces fell together with a clank. I had somehow managed to get myself tangled up in exactly what I had hoped to avoid by working with B; I was a fucking _familiar_. How the hell had I managed that? A lot of the guys I had known on the streets were familiars of one vamp or another; it was a good way for the suckheads to know what was going on in the human world without being too suspicious. Kids on the street are overlooked. And the ones that weren't familiars either died quick when they refused, were turned for being especially helpful, or floated under the radar, like I had, successfully avoiding what had been termed 'recruitment'.

I backed up, kind of difficult considering I was already standing against the wall. "No way. The betraying thing was bad enough; there is no way in hell I'm gonna be your fucking lapdog." I knew it was a lost cause; me versus a suckhead? No contest. But I was gonna put up one hell of a fight.

He grabbed the collar of my shirt again, but this time I pulled away, the collar tearing and the fang necklace I wore as a talisman breaking, scattering teeth everywhere. Fat lot of good it had done me. I broke loose and ran across the room, knocking over a table holding a pile of souped-up guns and knocking the guns onto the floor in the process. The next thing I knew, he was standing right in front of me, giving me an indulgent look. "What is your name, human?"

"Scud." It was out before I could think to give him a fake one.

"No, your real name, not a nickname. Detestable things, nicknames."

O-kay. No harm in giving the real one then; not many people actually knew my real name, considering I didn't use it much. "Josh."

"Josh. It is a good name. From Joshua, I would gather? I am Damaskinos. I would like to mark you now, and it would be better for all of us if the Daywalker did not learn of this, so it would do well for you to not try to resist again. If the Daywalker discovers your true loyalty he will likely keep you out of the loop, and if you are out of the loop you are of no further use to us." Three guesses as to what that would mean for poor little Scud. If you guessed death, congrats, you win. "We can do this easy or hard, I do not care which so long as it is done. Now, where should we put it?" He began muttering to himself, trying to determine where the glyph would go. He finally determined on the inside of my lip, as there wouldn't be too many people looking there. Most familiars get it on the inside of their wrist, or low on their hip if they are going to be used for…other things. But for undercover work, where I would be working alongside B and it would be bad if he discovered it, he opted for the lip.

It was painful. And not just because it was basically a tattoo on the inside of my lip; I did _not_ want it, so I struggled, trying to get away even though I knew it was useless. Survival instinct, you know? So, every time I struggled, he'd smack me around a little; slice open some skin, squeeze a wrist, do a little choking, whatever it took for me to stop. By the time he was done, I wasn't struggling anymore, believe me. It wasn't worth it.

So he finished, and shoved me aside. "I am leaving now, Joshua. Remember your promise, and remember that I am your master now. Do not think to disobey me, or my promise is null and void, and I _will_ kill you, slowly and painfully. And clean yourself up; you are covered in blood and scratches, and I think the Daywalker would ask too many questions. Do not tell him of your new allegiance, or you will regret it." And he left.

What could I do? Like I said; I'm loyal enough, but every man has his price. I'll admit it; I'm no hero. I don't understand how someone can give their life for someone else; it makes no sense to me. Sure, it's noble and all, but where does nobility get you? It gets you killed. And then what? You're no use to anyone dead.

So yeah, I did what D told me to. I didn't want to, and it killed me to do it. But I didn't have much choice in it, if you think about it. Could you seriously tell me you could be in the same situation and not do what I did? Bullshit.

In my defense, I tried to avoid it. I put it off for as long as I could, knowing that the minute I actually went through with it would be the beginning of the end for B, and, despite the fact that the guy is socially challenged, I honestly didn't want to see it happen. But I got found out eventually. One night, again, when B was out ashing suckheads, D showed up. This time I was actually paying attention, so he didn't get in. He did, however, demand that I let him in. Like that was going to happen.

We haggled over it, he threatened me more than a few times, and I went outside to meet him, after it came to my attention that things would be decidedly dicey if B came back before he left. Yeah, yeah, not exactly the smartest course of action, but, again, I value my own ass more than anything else.

He was _pissed_. Granted, I hadn't expected anything else; I had, after all, been neglecting my familiar duties. Trust me; you do not want to meet a vamp when he's pissed, especially not one as old as D. Apparently, the older they are the stronger they get, which makes no sense to me, but there it is. So I went out there, and in short order found myself thrown across the alley, at which point I hit a cement wall. Not fun. I sat up, a variety of comebacks on my tongue, but the minute he looked at me I couldn't remember a single fucking one of them.

"You are neglecting your duties, my pet."

"I'm not your pet, and you damn well know it. And yeah, I am. So what?"

" 'So what?' '_So what?'_" He gave an evil laugh. Not something I'd want to hear ever again. "We had a deal, you and I. You would ensure that we have a weakness for Blade, and in return I would ensure your survival when the new order rises. Was I wrong to entrust this chore to you? Should I have perhaps chosen someone else?"

"I just…feel bad about this." And, oddly enough, I did. After a few months of living with this guy, building him cool toys, keeping his ass safe when he was asleep, watching base when he was away, somewhere during all that I had somehow developed loyalty toward the guy, more than I had ever had towards anyone else, and it was getting harder to get my ass into gear betraying him. I respected him, and this, this was low.

"Well, you got yourself into this. You didn't seem to feel so bad about it when I marked you."

I subconsciously rubbed my tongue against the glyph. Even after a few weeks it still stung a little, and was a constant reminder that, on some level, I had sold my soul to the devil. 'Cuz that's what it was; I had thrown in my lot with the enemy, voluntarily or not, and no matter how much I tried to justify it, I was still stuck with the feeling that I had sacrificed part of my humanity in the process.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." I waved vaguely at him. I reached into a pocket, scrounging for a joint, put it between my lips, then began looking through my pockets for a lighter. This time I was successful; I had it out and got it lighted, only to have the damn thing knocked out of my hands again when D's frustration rose. The next thing I knew I was on the ground. Again. Are you beginning to see a pattern?

"Do not make light of your disobedience, human. It is not a trait I tolerate." He grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me to my feet, then slammed me into a wall and held me there. "What have you learned?"

"Nothing of any interest." Not a total lie; I had been on surveillance for most of the past few days, and since B didn't talk much, I hadn't asked about what he was up to. He told me things on a "need-to-know" basis, and apparently he felt I didn't need to know.

The pressure on my chest increased, making it hard to breathe. "I will decide what is of interest. What do you know about the Daywalker and his activities?"

I sighed, a difficult feat when you can barely pull air into your lungs. "He found Whistler, and cured him. He brought him with him tonight so he could keep an eye on him."

"Anything else?"

I shook my head, maybe a little too enthusiastically. The next thing I knew I was tumbling ass-over-teakettle across the alley, the second time that night. I rolled to a stop and lay there, sucking air into my oxygen-deprived lungs, silently cursing myself that I had even gotten involved. This wasn't worth it. Sure, he wouldn't kill me, but there were an awful lot of things he _could_ do that would make me wish he would.

He walked over, cool as a fucking cucumber, and squatted next to me as I coughed and wheezed. "I will ask once more, and if you lie I will not be so forgiving. Do you know anything else." This wasn't even a question; it was a command from a guy who was used to obedience.

I gasped out the rest of what I knew, flinching when he raised a hand. He chuckled. Yeah, you heard right; the fucking bastard _chuckled_. "You have done well, Joshua. Thank you." He ran a hand down the side of my face, an action that made me shudder with revulsion, and stood up. "Until our next meeting, my pet. Now, make sure you continue to hold up your end of the bargain, or I cannot hold up mine." And that was the way our meetings from then on went; he would stop by when B was out, blackmail me into leaving the building, get me to give him what info I knew through whatever means necessary (read: smacking around and threats), and would leave, giving one last threat to ensure I would do as I was told.

It was surprisingly easy. Ignore a security breach or two, sabotage a bomb, and that was all I needed. Of course, the bomb thing bit me in the ass, but that's B for you; sharper than he looks. At least I was honest about it in the end; granted, he had already figured it out, but I did admit to it. Added in some defensive bullshit so I didn't look like a whiny bitch, and that was it. Boom.

**I know; talk about abrupt ending. But Scud's story isn't over yet…let me know if you want the next chapter. And tell me what you think; is this plausible? Is there anything I overlooked? Anything at all; I can take it, I promise – I've got a pretty healthy ego…it could probably stand to be taken down a few pegs…lol.**


	2. Aftermath

**Thanks for the reviews...not as many as I was hoping for, but here's the next chapter anyway. **

**Yeah, yeah; none of the following events actually happened. But a girl can dream, can't she?**

I fully expected to die. I mean, bomb in your hand, guy pushes the button, bomb go boom, death generally results, usually in the form of an explosion of blood and tiny pieces of body tissue. Yeah, not the case. Truth is stranger than fiction. I got thrown a few feet back, and no one even bothered to check up on me. Granted, they all thought I was dead, so I really don't blame them. Anyway, I was knocked out by the blast, hit the wall behind me, and didn't really know what was going on until I was shaken awake by none other than Reinhardt. Yeah, not exactly what you want to be greeted with when you wake up. Especially not with the mood he was in.

"What the fuck was that?"

"Nice to see you too, Dieter." I rubbed my face, then tried to struggle to a sitting position.

Reinhardt glared at me.

"What, that's you're name, isn't it? Dieter Reinhardt. Sounds like it needs a 'von' or something…'Dieter von Reinhardt'…" I laughed to myself.

I got a smack upside the head for my trouble. "Know your place, warmblood."

"Hey, watch it, buddy. D wants me in one piece, I'm sure."

"Damaskinos."

"What?"

"His name is Damaskinos. Show him the proper respect. I may have let that fly when you were pretending to be on Blade's side, but not now." He started grumbling to himself, something about how disrespectful humans were nowadays. I just chuckled to myself, reminded of old geezers sitting in rocking chairs on a porch talking about the good old days and how things had gone to shit since then. Unfortunately, he heard me and smacked me upside the head again.

"What the hell was that for?"

"Being an idiot." I let that one go. "So what the fuck was that stunt you pulled?"

Back to that again, eh? "Nothing major; just lowered the charges in the explosive and threw in some fun pig's blood and shit. That way it would look like whoever had it when it was triggered had exploded, but in reality they'd only get thrown a few yards."

"Nice." I could tell it was killing him to admit it. So, in typical fashion, I rubbed it in.

"It was a nice piece of work, wasn't it?" He wanted to smack me again, I could tell. But he restrained himself for once and didn't. He was waaay too easy.

He brought me to D's lair, where I was shunted into a small room. Reinhardt shoved me into a chair. "Stay there, and shut up. Someone will come back in a little while." I nodded, and he left.

The room was really empty; the only things in it were the chair and me, and even the walls were a boring grey color. I sat there for what felt like hours but was probably only minutes…I've never been really patient.

The door opened, and D entered, closing the door behind him. "Joshua. Such a pleasure to see you; I heard from Reinhardt that you had died in an explosion."

"Yeah, well, don't believe everything you hear. Especially from him."

D raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. "Well, you have indeed kept up your part of the agreement. So, I believe it is my turn to keep mine."

Oh fuck. I had thought about it, and I didn't really want to become one of them. Hell, I had almost been killed by two of them, and it was still a sore spot. I reached for the fang necklace I had painstakingly fixed after D had broken it during our first meeting and curled my fingers over a few fangs.

D sensed my fear. "Oh, you do not want your reward now? But you have done your part extremely well; it's the least I can do. This is not an opportunity many familiars get."

"Well, give it to another one than. I don't want it."

D frowned. "This is…unexpected. Well, no matter; you will thank me later."

He started to approach me, and I scooted the chair back, getting a leg tangled and knocking it over myself. I struggled to sit up, but D was too fast, and I too slow.

He was on me before I could manage to even get disentangled. He grabbed the front of my shirt again and pulled me to an upright position. "This is what you asked for. This is what you wanted, is it not? Most familiars get killed before they get the chance to be turned, a quick snack, but you. You I will turn; as I said, you show promise. Despite your tongue." He whispered the words into my ear, and I shuddered. I tried to break free of his grip, but he shifted to cup my chin and put a hand on my chest, securing me against the wall. It was like struggling against steel; every time I tried to move I ended up hurting myself more than staying still would. So I stopped struggling, and resigned myself to my fate.

I gasped as his fangs plunged into my neck. You know how in the movies the vamp always sinks his fangs into a girl's neck and she initially starts screaming and trying to get away but always ends up basically having an orgasm? Yeah, it's nothing like that. A. it would have been reeeally awkward, but B. it hurt like hell. The entire time.

It was weird; I could actually feel the blood flowing out of my neck. And, like I said, it hurt. It was like a burning, like when you donate blood at Red Cross or get blood drawn at the doctor's, only there were two of them, and it was almost more than I could stand. I wanted to scream; hell, I think I _did_ scream, for all the good that did me. After a while everything started fading, the color started bleaching out of the world, sounds faded, everything. But I didn't pass out. I came about as close as you can without actually doing it though.

Finally D stopped, and I just kinda…slumped to the ground. I couldn't even muster the energy to stand, I was just that out of it. He crouched down next to me and slit his wrist, opened my mouth a little bit, and started dripping his blood into my mouth. Once he had what he felt was enough, he lifted my head and told me to swallow. I just kind of sat there for a minute or so, just blinking, trying to piece together what he was saying. I actually swallowed before I realized what he had asked, but by the time I realized that was what he wanted me to do, it was too late to spit it out. Didn't stop me from trying, though.

He lowered my head back to the ground, put a blanket over me, and left the room. I fell asleep, I think. Don't know for sure; all I know is that everything went dark, and the next thing I knew I was still in the room, and everything hurt. I tried to stand up, and, besides the fact that I was too weak to even manage that, I discovered that my hands were shackled together and I was wearing a thick steel collar chained to the wall. Like a fucking _dog_. Apparently they didn't want me going anywhere, whoever they were. I didn't know why, I didn't know what was happening to me, all I knew was that I fucking _hurt_, and there wasn't a damn thing I could do to fix it. I tried. I writhed and yelled, grabbing my stomach and curling up into a ball, but even that didn't help. A hand brushed my neck accidentally, and, besides the fact that I pulled it away immediately as if I had been burned, I felt two small holes, and I remembered what had happened. Fuck. I was one of them. Or at least well on my way to becoming one. It was at that moment that I began to cry, part in frustration, part in pain, part in fear, part in remorse. It was my fault. B was probably dead by now, and I had made it possible.

At some point the pain got to be too much and I passed out. When I came to I was hungry. And not "I think I'll make myself a sandwich" hungry. Disgusting as the idea was to me, I wanted real, fresh, blood. I tried to ignore it, but after a few hours that went down the tube.

You never really understand the Thirst until you have to deal with it. I had heard about it from B when I first joined up, how if you don't do anything about it it builds and builds until it's all you can think about. About how it's like the worst withdrawal you've ever had multiplied by a billion. About how all you want to do is sink your teeth into some unsuspecting person and drain 'em dry, even as you're hating yourself the entire time for doing it. Yeah; I never really understood all that until that moment. I thought I did. But, like many things, I was wrong.

The door opened, and it was all I could do to keep from launching myself at whoever entered. Granted, what with the chains and all I wouldn't have made it, but the desire was there. I could smell blood, the overwhelming scent of copper making my new fangs descend. I ended up biting my own lip, drawing blood. I instinctively sucked it in, my mind recoiling at what I was doing. It was horrible; the taste was enough to make me gag, but my stomach wouldn't let me; I needed it, much as I wanted to deny it.

I backed into the corner, trying to ignore the person who entered. I failed; it was incredibly obvious to me, thanks to my new suckhead powers, that there was someone else in there with me, someone warmblooded. Someone with a pulse.

I started whimpering, what remained of my humanity warring with the new and improved me. Yeah, not the most manly thing to do. But I felt like I was dying, despite the fact that, knowing what I did, I already had. And, God help me, I wanted to flat out drain the guy who had entered. So I backed up further, curled up into a tighter ball, and put my arms over my head, trying to block out the world. It didn't work. The world found me anyway.

"Scud?" I lifted my head, just a little, just enough to confirm what my spideysense was telling me. It was Blade.

I gave him a shaky smile. "Hey, B. Nice to see they didn't kill you after all."

He snorted. "I should kill you right now."

"Go ahead; vamps are already dead, they just don't know it yet, right?"

"So they did turn you."

"Just like they promised." There was none of my usual snarkiness; that had all been eliminated the minute I realized what I had become. It was dead, just like me.

He sighed. "Just answer me this one question; why did you do it?"

"I already told you: you were too busy looking for Whistler's puckered old ass, I felt like you didn't give a shit about me, I saw an opportunity for advancement, and I took it."

"Don't bullshit me, Scud; I can see right through it."

Damn it. Damn Blade and his fucking perceptiveness. Another wave of the Thirst came around, and I clutched my stomach, releasing another whimper.

Blade gave me an understanding look, which wasn't what I was expecting. He crouched down to my level, careful to stand beyond the reach of the chain. He reached into a pocket of his coat and pulled out his injector and a bottle of serum, putting the bottle into the slot on the injector. He then came a little closer, moving slowly. "This will help keep the Thirst at bay. It won't work forever, but it'll work long enough. I have just one caveat: you try to bite me, and I will kill you here and now." I nodded. B is not a joking man. I doubt he even has a sense of humor.

He inched closer until he was crouching right next to me. I closed my eyes tight, focusing on keeping still. I could feel the cold of the needle against the skin of the inside of my elbow, and stifled a flinch. He pulled the trigger, injecting the serum directly into my vein. My eyes flashed open and I bared my fangs without thinking, hissing as I did with the shock of the injection. But I didn't try to bite him. I'm not stupid; even as self-loathing as I was at the time, the instinct for self-preservation was even stronger.

As the serum flowed through my veins, appeasing the Thirst for the moment, I whimpered again, this time in relief. "Better?" I nodded. He motioned for me to continue where we had left off.

"Alright. I'll tell you why I did it for real. But you're not gonna like it any better than the other version." He just stared at me. "D – Damaskinos" I used his full name when he gave me that look "came to the hideout one night while you were looking for Whistler. He made it clear that if I didn't help him out he would kill me, no second chances, no warning. I'm not making this shit up!" I yelled as he gave me a doubting look. "You know that night when you asked me if I had gotten into a fight with a wall?" He nodded, still doubtful. "That was the night he made the proposition. He fucking blackmailed me into it, then gave me the glyph. I didn't have a choice; I'm not a fucking hero like you." He nodded, satisfied with my answer.

"This doesn't mean I trust you. You betrayed me, no matter the circumstances; that trust is going to have to be built back up. But I won't kill you."

"You won't?" I knew there had to be a catch.

"No. I will give you the retrovirus, and I'll let you keep working with me; you could teach Whistler a thing or three." I chuckled. "But Whistler and I both are going to be keeping a very close eye on you until you prove we can trust you again, and the minute you slip up, that's it; no more, game over."

"Do not pass go, do not collect $200." I added helpfully.

He nodded.

A thought entered my mind. A scary one. "What about Damaskinos? I'm sure he's gonna come back soon to see his handiwork; I don't want to stay here, don't let him keep me here, please…" I started whining, a thousand scenarios playing in my head, every one of which had me stuck here for all eternity, each one more terrifying than the last.

"Hey. Hey!" I looked up, and stopped, looking at him hopefully. "He's dead; they all are. He's not gonna keep you here."

My jaw dropped. "No shit. You're serious?" He nodded. I gave a low whistle. "Thank God for small favors. In that case, could you please get me the hell out of these?"

The next few hours were absolute hell. B gave me the retrovirus, a superdose like he had given W. It hurt like a bitch; it was, if anything, worse than being turned. There was more whimpering, more swearing, but this time I was ignored, except for the check-ins every half hour or so to see how it was going.

I had been given the same warning W had been given when B gave him the retrovirus; I would get the treatment, and would have until the sun rose to revert. The minute the sun came up, the shade would be pulled, and it was sink or swim. Or, in my case, ash or live.

When the sun came up, I was nervous as hell. Fuck, anyone in my position would be. Seeing that shade pulled up was probably one of the most terrifying things of my life, believe it or not. I was hoping I was cured, but in the back of my mind a voice kept saying "what if you're not?" I told that voice to shut the fuck up. It didn't help. I was sitting there, staring at the window, at least an hour before the sun came up, afraid of what the near future would bring.

So the shade went up, and I was bathed in daylight. Nothing happened. It itched a little, but that was about it. After a few minutes I started getting dizzy, though, and the world started swimming. I started panicking, convinced I was dying. What the fuck? I knew it had a relatively low cure rate, but I didn't ash; what was going on? Just as my panicking began to be almost overwhelming, I felt a nudge in my side. "Don't forget to breathe," a teasing voice said. I automatically sucked in some air. Yeah, vamps kinda don't need to do that; in the short time I had been one I had forgotten all about that vital action. I immediately felt better. "Thanks for the tip, Gramps."

Whistler smacked me upside the head. "You'll do."

I reached into my pocket, pulling out a joint. I lit it and inhaled, relieved. "So'll you," I said, looking up at him from my position on the floor and flashing him a grin.

**All right, that's it. What do you think? Just push the little button and review...good, bad, I can take it, I swear.**


End file.
